Bad Timing
by Feminine Wiles
Summary: Remy sits at an all night diner trying to work up the courage to call Rogue after disappearing for months. Song fic, could possibly take place before X-Men: The End story line.


Bad Timing

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! All characters depicted belong to Marvel and Bad Timing is the property of Blue Rodeo.

"You want some more coffee, hon?"

The man looked up from the all night diner counter where he had been flipping his cell phone open and closed again over and over aimlessly. He smiled charmingly from behind his dark sunglasses that hid his eerie red on black eyes.

"Oui, petite, that would be very gracious of ya." Remy answered the tall blond waitress that stood behind the counter. She smiled seductively as she poured Remy his coffee and he knew that she'd be willing to take him home with her in a heartbeat. Perhaps he would've gone with her at one point in time, but now…now there was only one woman on his mind, and he just needed to work up the courage to call her.

When Remy didn't say anything more, the waitress sighed and moved onto the next late night costumer who looked low on coffee, leaving Remy to his thoughts as he stared down at his cell. Never before had the small phone seemed so daunting. He flipped it open again and scrolled down his numbers only to stop on the one most familiar to him. His thumb hovered above the send button, and he just about pressed it before he flipped it closed again. He sighed before opening it again, this time however, instead of scrolling down the names as he had done so many times before; the tiny screen went blank as the battery died.

"Damn!" Remy muttered under his breath. He closed the phone one last time before pocketing it and let his head fall into his hands in frustration. He looked up to glance over his shoulder; a payphone was mounted to the wall at the back of the small diner. He sighed again; he couldn't keep torturing himself like this.

With all the strength and courage he could muster, Remy stood up and made his way to the phone. He dug into his pocket for some loose change and, finding a few quarters, slipped them into the cold metal slot, before dialing the number he had committed to memory so long ago.

The phone rang four times before a husky, somewhat confused, southern drawl answered on the other end, obviously just woken up from a deep sleep.

"Hello?"

Remy's throat went dry when he heard Anna's voice. He hadn't heard her soft drawl in so long; he had forgotten just how much he had missed it whispering in his ear.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end repeated, waking Remy from his memories. He cleared his throat quickly.

"Hey chere, it's me."

There was silence for a moment on the other end and Remy wondered if perhaps she had hung up after hearing his voice, but before his disappointment could hit him too hard, she finally spoke up.

"Remy?"

"Oui, what a big surprise, eh?" Remy chuckled weakly, trying to ease off the horrible tension he was feeling at that moment.

Once again there was silence, causing Remy to hold his breath until she spoke again.

"Where are ya, sugah?"

"Be callin' ya up from a restaurant 'round de bend." Remy answered carefully, wanting her to know he was close by. He could hear her shifting position as though she were rolling over.

"What…what time is it?"

"Not sure, chere. Jus' got in from way up North…" Remy hesitated before continuing softly, "…be achin' an' tired an'…I could use a friend."

"Oh." Came the small reply from the other end, Remy could hear the confusion Anna must have been feeling at that moment. "Ah…sug? Ah'm not so sure that would be meh, ya know?"

"Heh. Yea, guess I be a fool ta t'ink ya do wanna see me again." Remy answered, he sighed and raised his free hand to rub the back of his neck in agitation.

_He was the one who had walked out. They had been screaming at each other and he just left and never came back. Leaving her crying and, as he found out later from one of their friends, pregnant._

"Something like that." She answered softly. That's when Remy heard the faint crying somewhere in the background, probably from the baby monitor that must've been placed close to her bed, making his heart ache.

"Look, Remy…Ah… Ah gotta go…the baby…" she tried to say it in a way that didn't accuse him of anything, dancing around her words pitiably.

"Wait chere, listen…I know it been a while since I talked ta ya…not'ing been wrong, jus'…not'ing ever goes as planned."

_He had told her that his brother was calling in a favor and he had to go for a while. She had gotten mad, they had argued and he had said he was leaving. That he'd have his stuff out by the end of the week. He hadn't known she was pregnant, he was just sick of the never ending fighting that they seemed to always be doing. Almost immediately he had regretted it, but he couldn't face her, not at that time.  
_

"Many times dat I thought I'd call, but I didn't have ya number in my hand." It was a lie, and he knew she knew it. Her number had been committed to memory since the first time she had given it to him. He was just afraid that she wouldn't want him anymore, afraid that she wouldn't take him back.

"Ah dunno Rem…"

"Oh, I know it's true, ya'd never do de same t'ing ta me." Remy sighed, cutting her sentence off. There was a silence that seemed to stretch for an eternity to Remy. Finally, when he could take no more of it, he spoke again.

"We used ta have so many plans, jus'…somet'ing always seemed ta turn out wrong…" Remy tried weakly to explain.

_They had always been fighting, and then making up, but that time had been different. She had learned to control her powers. They were finally able to touch and suddenly they found themselves talking about marriage, about a family, about a future, and it was wonderful and it was blissful and…it scared the hell out of him. He was afraid of being hurt and decided to end it before they were both in too deep._

"Guess I never could catch up ta ya, what with ya movin' on an' doin' all de t'ings ya've done." Anna was so much stronger than him. She had gotten over it, gotten over him and begun a new life for herself, for their child. Why couldn't he have done that? Gotten over his pathetic fears and moved on from them so that he could create the life he wanted…with Anna, with their baby.

"Don't know why, chere, but de harder I try, de harder it all comes." Remy finally concluded. He could hear her sigh deeply on the other end.

"Look, Remy, Ah'm not sure Ah can give ya whatever it is ya want now…ya hurt meh…" There were tears in Anna's voice.

"I know, chere, I guess I jus' wanted ya ta know…I never meant ta make ya cry, an'...I know I shouldn't of called. Guess it jus' reminds us of de cost for everyt'ing we lost. Maybe it's bad timin', dat's all." Remy couldn't stop the tears that were coming to his eyes at the thought that he wouldn't see her again, that he might not be able to see his child.

"Maybe soon there be a day, when no more tears will fall, oui? We each can forgive a little bit an' we'll both look back on it...as jus' bad timin', dat's all."

Remy could hear Anna shifting again as she took a deep breath.

"Rem? Why don't Ah put on some coffee? Ya'll can come on over. We can talk, an'…ya can meet Oli."

As Remy hung up the old payphone he smiled. Perhaps it hadn't all been such bad timing after all.


End file.
